Captured like a Stallion
by LilNinjaWolf
Summary: He's captured and shipped off to another land where those who want charge of him will use him for the unimaginable. Can he survive and make it home?
1. Prologue

**Updates for my other fics will be put up soon, however here is a peak into my newest fic requested by Dondena. Enjoy. :)

* * *

**

**Captured like a Stallion**

**Prologue**

Basir looked around the long table at his comrades. Two on the left of him, two on the right. He had them. He knew he did. He had never seen anything like it. And before tonight, neither had they. He could see the desire in their eyes, the greed. But the creature would be his and his alone to do with as he saw fit. The creature would do well in the fights. Who needed the festival races? This would be even better. The prizes alone would out weight that of the races. Yes, he needed this creature, this shell back.

He had taken his four comrades up to the roof of the hotel to show them what they did not believe in. True to what he had seen every night the past week in this American city, they saw the creature. The strength within the creature's muscles was unfathomable. The way it could jump from building to building as if it had lived all its life on the roofs of this large city. He was even more intrigued by the humans dressed in black trying to catch the creature, each time failing to do so, but oh so close. He had only saw this two of the nights he had come up here to gaze at the stars, but he had seen it nonetheless. It carried swords on its back. Where the creature had managed to get a hold of something like that, Basir didn't know. He marveled at the way it used the blades, as if it knew what they were and what they were for. It was brilliance. Sheer brilliance. And he needed this creature. With him, he would gain control of the land of his home. He would push out the other raiders and warriors that should not be in his homeland. He nodded to himself. It would work. If his comrades agreed.

"Well?" Basir asked the group of four sitting around the long table of the hotel's so called conference room.

"He is magnificent," one on the right side of the table spoke up.

"With such strength, one could do anything with him," the second man on the right continued.

"He'd do well in the fights," one from the left side of the table added.

"We could breed him if there were more. Or find something else to breed him with," the fourth man spoke up from the left.

At the head of the table, Basir was pleased. Each one looked to be in favor of catching this creature. But to breed him? There was a possibility he hadn't thought about. "Would that be possible Kadir?"

The man who suggested the breeding rubbed his chin and nodded. "Yes, we could find a way. With such a powerful creature, it would be invaluable."

Basir nodded, a pleased smirk sliding across his face. "Find a way to do so."

"But how will we catch this creature? Surely it won't be like capturing the wild horses in the desert at home," one on the right asked.

"No Jinan, it wouldn't be quite like that, but I can assure you. I have something in mind in capturing this beast," Basir answered. Yes, he would be sure to get this taken care of. He would've gone through with it with or without their support, but things were always easier with it.

"See that you do. This would be extraordinary."

"We leave at the end of the week. Will that be enough time?"

Basir smirked to Nasim, his optimism brimming, and turned this gaze to Omar and his warning. He was right. Their time of departure was drawing near and their original business was almost done. "I'll set it in motion within the night. Finish business matters, I will take care of this."

The four men around the table agreed, bowing their head and shaking Basir's hand, congratulating him on the find. He watched them go and turned back to look out the room's window at the night's sky.

"I'm coming creature. And you will do more for me than you can imagine."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"What can I do for you… Basir?" The Asian man asked steepling his fingers in front of his face as if trying to hide an annoyed look crossing his lips.

"I believe it's something I can do for you," Basir spoke with ease. He kept a level gaze on the man in front of him, not to be deterred in the slightest. The only thing separating them was a large and old mahogany desk. He clasped his hands behind him, standing with confidence. He had this in the bag. No one could say no to the logic he had up his sleeve.

The man titled his head and leaned back in his chair. "Really? How so? What could you possibly do for me?"

"I believe you have a problem with a certain shell back."

The man merely raised an eyebrow in silence.

"I want this creature to be used in the fighting ring back in my homeland. His strength is amazing. However, I do not have the resources in this country to catch such a beast on my own."

"Alright. If there was such a creature in this city… Why do you think I would know of such a beast or even be able to catch it?"

"Because Mr. Saki, I have done my homework. An Arabian has his sources and I know much about your dealings."

Saki scoffed. "I'm sure you know nothing."

"I know of the botched operation just two nights ago. Of how this creature who shouldn't even be able to use two swords was able to succeed in a fight with your men in their black pajamas." Basir smirked with anticipation. "Those same men were seen entering this building, one of them reporting to you. You cannot sit there and tell me you know nothing of this."

"Even so. Why would I do this for you?"

"I can pay you, but I highly doubt you need the money. You want this creature out of your sight. What better way than halfway across the world?"

Saki pushed out a breath, eyes hard as they stared up at Basir. "I'm sure we could… arrange something. If he were to come back, I would send my men to find you. I can assure you, it would be very unpleasant."

"I have no doubt about it."

"See that you don't."

"Then we have a deal?" Basir pushed.

"Yes. We do." Saki rose from his seat and came around the large desk. "Come, we have much to discuss if we are to take care of this tonight."

Basir eagerly followed Oroku Saki out of the ornately decorated room and down the hall. He could just taste the success of the night's future events. He even had a little something up his sleeve for the beast as soon as the creature was in his hands. He couldn't be having any trouble after putting it on the ship. Not after all this.

* * *

Leo sat on the edge of one of the tallest rooftops in the city. He was all alone again tonight. His brothers were all busy. Not that it was a problem really. They had already been out on their nightly training run for the night. He was just bored. Trying to find something to do with one of his brothers had been a no go. Mikey was playing his video games as usual and he just couldn't tear Mikey away from his winning race. Raph was once again working on his shell cycle with Don's help even. So there really was no reason to tear them away from their bonding time, especially when it wasn't something Raph did that often.

So that left him alone tonight. He could even say it was relaxing. The cars below that drove despite the late hour was just as small background noise. It was truly peaceful for living in the middle of New York City.

The sound of a rock skidding across the rooftop behind him caught his attention quickly. He slightly tilted his head to the side to see who was behind him, not wanting to give away that he had heard. A frown flitted across his face as soon as he saw a few dark clothed men behind them, each one marked with the red mark of the Foot.

He jumped to his feet and spun around, katana in his hands by the time he was fully turned around. There was barely time to raise his right sword to block the incoming shuriken for his head. He lurched forward as soon as they broke out on a run towards him. Both blades clashed with their swords as soon as they met, forcing him back a step. He pushed forward again, swiping his right katana to the side in an attempt to dislodge the ninja's sword. Succeeding, he attempted the same with the one on the left. He swung outward in his attempt and ducked down to avoid a swipe to his head before he could dislodge the second sword.

Spinning to the right, he jumped up for a split kick that knocked a couple into a few more ninja. He grit his teeth, side stepping another ninja as he tried to count the remaining ninja. Twenty-four. It might as well have been more because of the dark, but he wasn't happy about the estimate either.

Leo jumped to the left, leg coming up for a snap kick as he crossed his blades to catch another sword. Narrowing his eyes on the enemy in front of him, he pulled his katana outward, cutting the enemy blade in half and kicking the ninja down. He moved onto the next ninja, trying to keep a steady pace as to not tire himself out. There seemed to be no end to them. He was sure he had taken down over twenty ninja by now, but they just kept coming.

As realization dawned on him that he might not be able to hold up against them alone, he reached for his shell cell only to pull his hand away as if it might bite him. A sword had swung out by his side forcing him to leap to the side, though he could feel pieces of the cell dropping to the ground at his feet.

"Great…" he muttered under his breath. "Just what I needed."

A whistle through the air sailed past his head with inches to spare. Turning, he couldn't dodge the next projectile in time. It hit him in the arm with a sharp prick. Eyes snapping down to look, he could see a clear dart just finishing emptying its contents into his system.

Backing up to gain some space from the ninjas in front of him, he clenched his fingers around the hilts of his katana trying to fight off the effects that was quickly sweeping through his system. He tried to keep his breathing even, his vision clear, and to just stand up straight, but as the ninjas starting coming forward again, he could feel himself sway as the world around him spun.

A sloppy slide step nearly avoided a strike to his arm. Though overcompensating as he had, Leo fell to the ground with a thud, katana clattering against the rooftop. The ninja pounced before he could lift his head to get up again. They held him down roughly, punching him as he tried to throw them off. Blood quickly filling his mouth, he spat the excess into one of the ninja's face.

"Stop. I need the beast unharmed," a voice growled.

Leo slowly rolled his eyes to the right as he felt the punches and kicks stop, his own struggles halting. A tall Middle Eastern man stood above him, looking down at him with that hungry look in his eyes.

The man bent down, whispering in Leo's ear. "You will be well taken care of. Sleep tight beast. It'll be a long journey."

Another prick poked through the skin on his arm as he tried again to get up. His muscles weren't cooperating as he felt himself fully slipping into unconsciousness, no longer able to fight off the darkness.


	3. Chapter 2

**A few short scenes to build suspense. Hope you all enjoy it. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

Basir walked into the hotel conference room, a smirk across his face. It was done. The beast was his to do with as he pleased. And not a moment too late. His comrades were sitting around the table once more, whispering in hushed tones. He took his place at the head of the table and waited for their murmuring to quiet down. "Has the business for this city been finished?"

"Yes, everything's been accomplished," Kadir reported. He stroked his dark beard as he looked up at the leader of the group.

"What is it?" Basir knew that questioning look without a doubt, bringing with it a spark of anger.

"Have you captured the beast?"

He glared at the man. "Yes, I have. He's on his way to be packed and shipped into the boat as we speak."

"But why not just fly him out of the country?" Nasim asked. "Why by boat? It'll take so much longer."

"Because we don't want a problem with customs," Basir snapped. "And what better way than to break him but by keeping him within the confines of a small crate for a few weeks?"

Jinan nodded slowly. "I'm sure we'll have to do more to break him with that spirit of his."

"Without a doubt, but this is only the beginning." Basir stood from his chair. "Gather the bags, we leave within the hour."

He strode out of the conference room behind them, confident with his catch. It wouldn't be too long and he would enjoy breaking this creature. It would be such a pleasure to do so.

* * *

Raph tightened a bolt on the front of his bike and stood up, looking at his and Don's handy work. Not too bad if he did say so himself. They had added a new turbo engine, polished up the metal, and redid the breaks. If it had gone fast before, it would go up to super speed now. He felt a like a proud father looking down on his baby.

"You're welcome Raph."

He chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he turned to look at his brother. "T'anks Donny."

Don picked up a dirty rag from the work bench beside him and started wiping his hands off. "Not a problem bro. I can just see Mikey's face when you ride off on this."

A scowl crossed his face. Now that wasn't something he wanted to be thinking about right yet. Mikey would be begging him to let him ride it 'just this once'. And that wasn't going to happen. They had just gotten the bike all up to snuff and he wanted it to stay that way for awhile. Though the actual look on Mikey's face… especially when he said no. "It's gonna be priceless."

Don chuckled. "That it is. Shall we go join the goofball then?"

"Guess so. Leo should be due back anytime now ain't he?"

A check of his watch had his brother nodding. "It's been a few hours. Could be back now."

Raph quickly wiped off his greasy fingers off on his own rag before tossing it over to the bench. Leading the way to the elevator, he remained quiet as they left the garage. Down in the lair, he looked around, only spotting Mikey's orange banded head. "Yo Mike! Leo back yet?"

"Not yet dude!"

He crossed to the back of the couch and leaned against the old relic with his arms crossed. A racing game was displayed across a few of the many TVs and it didn't look like his brother was faring so well.

"Did he say when he'd be back?" Don asked beside him.

"Nope," Mikey answered, tilting to the left as if it would help his car turn better.

"Know how long he's been gone?" Raph asked, wondering if they even had Mikey's attention at all.

"Nope. Just said he'd be back soon."

Well at least he was paying attention. Raph snapped his eyes to the clock, frowning as it read two in the morning. Leo was almost never gone this long without at least a call. And those times he was… it was usually his own fault for pushing his elder brother to stay out all night just to cool off. But they hadn't fought this time. It was a welcome relief. But why then was he not back?

"You can call if you're worried," Don spoke up.

"I ain't worried."

The video game paused as Mikey turned around to look at the two of them. "It's ok to be worried about Leo. Cuz he's our bro, you know?"

"I told ya I ain't worried," Raph growled, grabbing his cell of his belt. "And just to prove he's just fine, I will call him." Dialing, he grumbled under his breath. Worried? Who where they kidding? He wasn't worried. This was Leo. The "fearless" big brother. No need to worry at all.

"Dude might laugh you know. He finally got you worried," Mikey went on.

Raph snapped the cell shut before the call could finish connecting, jamming it back into his belt. "How many times do I have to tell ya, I ain't worried lame brain!" He vaulted over the couch, his one goal to catch his over energized brother.

"Eeek…." Mikey squealed, darting off the couch and in the direction of the kitchen.

Raph wasted no time racing after him with all he had.

"Keep it down! Sensei's asleep," Don's voice called after them.

Raph smirked. He'd be quiet alright. Maybe he'd duct tape Mikey's mouth shut just to keep the quiet while he pummeled him to the edge of death. Then who'd be worried?

* * *

A rocking motion slowly brought him to the edge of consciousness, not quite pulling him out of his deep sleep, but enough to cause him to stir. His eyes peered open to stare into the darkness surrounding him. Licking dry lips, Leo attempted to lift his right hand. He couldn't feel if it was tied down, but it wouldn't quite move either. It was the same with the other hand, but he wasn't quite worried yet. He was so comfy despite being curled up so tightly. It was warm too. He must have made it to bed sometime…

Slowly his thoughts drifted away as he slipped under again, the soft rocking only helping to lull his tired mind back to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Five hours have passed by now and no matter how long he had chased Mikey around the lair, his heart just wasn't in it anymore. Duck taping Mikey to the kitchen table hadn't even cheered him up. The worry for his older brother was building. The Foot had been more active lately. He knew Leo could take care of himself and this wasn't that long anyway. But he just couldn't help but feel that he, Don, and Mikey had brushed him off. They were all just too busy. He didn't miss Leo poking his head in the upper garage. He hadn't said anything, but his brother still looked like he wanted some company. With Mikey playing games all night since the training run, there would've been no way to tear him away.

Right now Raph just threw another punch at his punching bag, watching it sway violently before he attacked it again. No matter what he said to Mikey just hours ago, he was worried for his brother.

Leo would've checked in hours ago.

His brother was predictable that way unless they'd had a fight. And there was no fight tonight, which was both surprising and a relief. He often wondered what went wrong, what came between them. The two used to be inseparable, now there was constant fighting and strife. He'd have to fix that. That is, if Leo was willing to do the same. But somehow, he had no doubt about that.

He jumped into a snap kick, shoving the bag forward, slipped around it, punching it to the right. Faster and faster his moves came until the punching bag was constantly moving, taking a violent beating from the red banded turtle.

"Whoa Raph ease up. What'd the bag do to you?" Mikey joked from the dojo's doorway.

Raph let the bag swing past him, turning his darkened gaze to his youngest brother. "Nothin'."

"You sure? It looks sort of beat up today."

"It always looks beat up."

"Well… more so than usual."

Raph snorted. "What's up? Leo back yet?"

"Nope," Mikey replied, leaning against the doorway. "Not yet. I'm sure he'll be walking in that door any minute now and we'll get this simple explanation."

"Since when is anything simple?"

Mikey frowned as if thinking hard.

Raph rolled his eyes. "It's never simple," he answered his own question.

"So call him. Or are you too chicken?" Mikey grinned and then bent his arms and began flapping his 'wings' as he made clucking sounds.

He could've sworn he felt a vein pop as he watched his brother do the chicken dance. Raph was ready to go chasing his brother again. Hadn't the duct tape shown him anything? Resisting the urge to run after him again, he pulled out his cell, actually dialing this time.

Mikey stood up straight and waited with a huge grin on his face.

Raph turned away and listened to the ringing. It rang and rang…

And rang…

And rang…

He finally frowned after the fifth one and hung up. So Leo didn't want to be bothered right now. That wasn't a crime.

"Nothing?" Mikey asked.

"Nope."

"You sure?"

"No. I'm not sure that after hearin' five rings that Leo doesn't want to pick up."

"I was just asking. But why wouldn't he? He always answers."

Mikey had a point… and it pained him to think that. There was no reason Leo wouldn't answer his cell unless he was caught or mad at one of them. The second didn't apply and he wasn't too worried about the first. Maybe he didn't hear it. "Why don't you give it a shot lamebrain."

"Ok, I will." The orange banded turtle dialed from his own cell and waited. After a few moments, Mikey shook his head. "Nothing."

"Give him awhile. He'll call back," Raph replied, going back to his bag, leaping for a jump kick. Nothing was wrong. For all they knew, Leo forgot his cell here. He snickered, hoping his brother did. He'd get to tease him all into next week!

* * *

The next time Leo opened his eyes, sunlight had filtered in through the slits in the walls around him. The rocking motion was still there, threatening to pull him under once more. Shaking the darkness from his mind, he sat up and looked around spotting holes in the walls and ceiling, not merely just slits. Frowning in confusion, he reached up to touch the wall, finding that he couldn't. His wrists were bound together behind his shell. Twisting and pulling, he found no give in the restraints.

"Well this is just great…" Leo murmured. "So, where am I?"

He pushed himself against the back wall to attempt to feel it with his fingers. The walls felt wooden, yet as if it were short planks going upward and long when he felt left to right. A wooden box…

"Bound and sitting in a crate, you'd think the Foot would be a little more creative," Leo mused. "So then, where are they sending me and how?"

Not being able to answer the first question, he listened for anything outside of the box that could tell him how they were moving him. There were only three options that he could think of. Truck, boat, or plane. It was too quiet for plane travel and he didn't think a truck would make a rocking motion like he was feeling now. It was too exaggerated to belong to a truck, which only left a boat to make the most sense movement wise. By the noises he heard, he would have to agree with the boat conclusion. He could hear seagulls, bells, and the quiet roar of the ocean around him.

"Ok, it's a boat. But that doesn't answer where."

Footsteps echoed somewhere outside his box.

Leo waited as they came closer. Creaking sounded above him seconds later. Squinting up into the light, he saw a rugged figure towering over him.

'_Well that's not the Foot…'_ he thought to himself.

Dark coal eyes glared down on him as the man muttered to himself in another language. He couldn't quite place it, but Leo wasn't sure he wanted to know what the man was saying anyways.

Tensing to get ready to jump out of the open box, two more heads peered over the edges of the box, glaring down on him. Looking from one man to the next, Leo pressed himself a little further back to the darkened corner of his box. The third man held a long, wicked looking gun that hovered between pointing at him and the ceiling.

The man with the gun started yelling at the other two, shouting and pointing madly.

Leo slowly stood. If he could jump out before the gun man noticed, he could look for a dark place to hide until he could get off the ship. Then he'd just have to figure out where he was.

The gunman shouted again more loudly, the gun going off at the ceiling.

Leo flinched from the sound of the shot, standing just as the lid slammed down on him. Groaning from the lid's hit to his head, he slumped down once more. He was so close. The man's head was turned just enough that in another second, he would've been out of the box unharmed, well at least not immediately shot at. But he would've been out.

He frowned. He'd be ready when the lid was opened again. If they were on the ocean, it would be weeks until they got to wherever it was they were going. They had to feed him sometime. And then he would strike.

* * *

It had been two nights now and Leo had yet to call. Raph had called just one more time that night. Again there was no answer. Where was Leo? They had gone out by 5am after a third call to their older brother that hadn't been picked up. They found Leo's shell cell, sliced to bits on the New York rooftops, but no Leo. And no sign of the Foot either. They had just vanished. If he could find out where they were hiding, he'd either find Leo or find someone who knew where the Foot was.

So that was what he was doing tonight. Don and Mikey had gone to check out the area around the park and where they had found the busted cell. He was going to the docks.

"We'll find you Leo," Raph muttered. "Count on it."


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Raph threw his head back and let out a primal scream, letting it tear through the night. It went on and on until he was finally out of breath. Five days. It had been five days since they found Leo's broken shell cell. They had nothing. No signs of the Foot, no signs of Leo, no nothing at all. When the scream finally died away, his gaze fell to the street below him, a lone tear dropping to the pavement below.

"Where are ya Leo?" he whispered gruffly.

"Bro?"

Wiping roughly at his watery eyes, he turned to see his two brothers. He eyed them grimly. Don looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep in days. His limbs twitched from too much caffeine and he had dark rings around his eyes. Mikey looked dead on his feet as well, though with a bit more energy. The goofball always had more energy, go figure.

"What?" he rasped out.

"You ok?" Mikey ventured.

"Yeah just dandy."

"You don't seem dandy," Mikey pressed.

Raph snorted and turned back to look at the city's skyline. Of course he wasn't alright. Leo was missing. How was he supposed to be alright?

"We'll find him. We won't give up," Don spoke up.

Raph nodded curtly. They would never give up until they found their brother. Dead or alive. Though he preferred Leo to be alive when they found him. So did everyone else without a doubt, but as the time went by and the hours slowly turned into days, his hope was dropping.

"Yeah no worries. Leo'll be fine and all kicked back and relaxed, just waiting for us to find him," Mikey added.

"Doesn't do him any good if we don't find him."

"Stop being so cynical Raph. We haven't searched everywhere," Don argued.

He spun back around to face his brothers, glaring at them. "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I've been telling myself that for the past three days? That we still have quite a bit of the city to search though? But what if he's not in the city? What if he's in the country side? Or worse the complete other side of the country? How are we going to find him then Don? Tell me that!"

Don seemed to have shrunk back a little, Mikey hiding slightly behind the brainy turtle. "I don't know. We'll just focus on one thing at a time. That's all we can really do."

"Yeah bro. Chill, one thing at a time," Mikey nodded in agreement.

Raph scowled and turned away again. Looking at the skyline, he saw a flash of something a block away. Without warning, he took off at a sprint, determined to catch up to whatever it was. By the looks of it, it was a human. Not just any human, but one dressed in black with something silver glinting off his back.

This is what they've been waiting for, their one break in finding their brother. He just had to catch the ninja before he made it back to the Foot tower. Not a problem at all.

Fueled by a sudden adrenaline rush, he increased his speed, flipping over one rooftop and skidding around an antenna sticking out of the roof of anther. Jumping over a few air conditioning units, he smirked as he was starting to close the distance between him and the ninja. Blood pounded through his ears, willing him on, begging him to catch this ninja. It was the only clue they had to Leo and he wasn't about to let go for a second.

The ninja disappeared after jumping off the side of the building. Momentarily panicking, Raph stopped at the edge, looked wildly around, not seeing the ninja.

"Down there…" Don panted just behind him.

Following Don's pointed finger, Raph caught sight of the ninja once more, just disappearing around the corner of the ally. Jumping down to street level, he broke out into a run once more. Breathing coming heavier now, he pushed himself harder. He couldn't let the ninja disappear again.

"Cut him off," he barked to his two brothers behind him.

He had no time to see if they had done what he had told them. He focused on keeping up his sprint, finally gaining on the ninja. They ran through half a dozen alleys, across streets, and through more alleyways, the distance finally shortening.

A bo staff swung out in front of the ninja, followed a swinging mid air arc of a chuck.

The ninja jumped over the staff as he pulled out a silver blade, only to be smacked back by the chuck, his blade clattering to the ground.

Pouncing, Raph slammed the ninja to the ground, his sai at the man's eye in a matter of seconds. He heard one of his brothers send the ninja's blade skittering across the pavement. With his sai hovering just inches from poking the ninja's eye out, Raph gripped the man's shirt with his other hand. "Where… is my brother," he growled, his breathing coming out ragged.

The ninja trembled beneath him, eyes widening as the sai came closer.

"Where?"

"I'd answer him dude, you're about to lose an eye," Mikey remarked as he came out of the shadows with Don at his side.

"And I don't think we'd be able to stop him," Don continued.

Raph glared down at the ninja. "They're right," he hissed in the man's face.

The ninja's mouth opened and closed and opened again, the process repeating three more times.

"Out with it!" he finally roared.

"P-p-please…. d-d-don't kill me…."

"Talk."

"He-he-he was captured…. by-by…"

"By you and your master," Raph spat.

The ninja nodded. "But not for us this time. There was another man."

"Another player?" Mikey mused. "You sure?"

"Oh yes," the ninja nodded emphatically. "Asian guy. Mean as the Shredder. You can't miss him once you see him."

Raph tightened his grip on the ninja. "Don't be lyin' to us."

"I'm not! I swear!"

"When was this?" Don asked, standing at the ninja's head.

"Five days ago. Shipped him off by boat right away. I really don't know where... Please don't kill me."

Raph growled and threw the man into the alley wall. "You disgust me," he muttered, watching as the man's head smacked against the brick and his body fell to the ground like a rag doll.

"I can hack into some databases, find out how many ships left the harbor when Leo went missing. I can also check their destinations and what else might be on the ships," Don spoke quickly, rattling off what came to mind.

Raph nodded, standing up fully again. "Do it," he muttered.

"Finally, a break. Leo here we come!" Mikey shouted

"Shut it lamebrain. We don't want every thug and ninja in the city to suddenly stand in our way just cuz you opened that mouth of yers."

Mikey smiled sheepishly. "Let's go, let's go," he whined.

Raph rolled his eyes as they made a dash down the alley. "Home Don?"

Don shook his head. "The control building for the harbor. I can hack the system more easily that way. Perhaps it'll even tell us about this mysterious Asian guy."

Finally, a plan. It wasn't much, but at least it was something. And right know, it was more than he could've hoped for. If this didn't pan out, he was going to find that wimpy Foot ninja and beat the truth out of him, one way or the other.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Raph stood behind Don, looking over his shoulder at the computer screen. He really couldn't make heads or tails of what Donny was reading with how fast his brother was scrolling, but as long as someone knew what they were doing, he really couldn't complain too much. "Find anything?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, lots of stuff, but nothing pertaining to what we need…" Don slowly trailed off.

"What, what, what?" Mikey demanded. "What'd you find?"

"A wrinkle…"

Raph frowned and looked a little harder at the screen, still not understanding. "What kind of wrinkle?"

"Well, a boat entered and left Saki's port five days ago. It wasn't docked for long, but it could've been enough time to get Leo on the boat and secured before they took off."

"Ya sure it woulda been this one?"

"Well no, I can't get into the camera feeds yet… give me a second."

The red banded turtle exchanged a look with Mikey who just shrugged. Since when couldn't Donny get into a camera feed?

"I'm in!" Don exclaimed. "It looks like…" The purple banded turtle slammed a hand on the desk. "There's no tape for that date!"

"So… what's that have to do with camera?" Mikey asked.

"It's how we see what was recorded. Like a VCR Mikey, only this is going to be a little more high tech."

"Oh, yeah. I knew that," Mikey murmured.

"Ya think someone just took it?" Raph asked gruffly.

"Possibly, or it was never put in for that day for some reason."

"I could guess one reason," he muttered under his breath. He could tell both Don and Mikey were thinking the same thing. "So let's make a bet on the boat. Where is it heading?"

Don began typing at the keyboard furiously. Raph could just imagine the look crossing his brother's face as his mind raced. Leaning a little closer, he watched impatiently as more words scrolled across the screen too fast for him to read.

"Doesn't say," the purple banded turtle finally admitted after a few minutes. "I see the name of the boat, the time it was docked, the time it left, but no record of destination."

Raph growled and walked away from the chair his brother sat in. Couldn't they just having a working lead? The boat could be sailing anywhere. They now knew Leo was nowhere in the country, but there were so many places they could be shipping him off to, where would they begin?

"Where are you Leo?" Mikey whined softly.

"Don't worry Mikey. Where there's a will, there's a way," Don comforted.

He snorted at his brothers, but knew Don was right. They would find Leo one way or another. A second thought entered his mind, forcing him back to Don's side. "What about this Asian guy? Anything on him?"

"One way to find out."

Keys clicked quickly once more, nearly drowning out the sound of footsteps.

Quickly looking towards the door, Raph nudged Don's shoulder and crept to the slightly open door. Two men were walking up the stairs to the control room.

"Think anything good's going to happen today?" one voiced. "I'm tired of the same thing day in and day out. When are these ships ever going to have any interesting cargo?"

"As soon as hell freezes over," the second replied with a roll of his eyes. "I've been here fifteen years and have yet to see anything of interest. You'll just have to get used to it."

The younger man visibly pouted, running a hand through his short dark hair. "I can always dream, can't I?"

The older man laughed. "You sure can my boy. Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise."

Both men stopped at the computer, the older one taking a seat. "Hey, you mess with my chair?"

The young man shook his head. "Don't think so, but I guess it's possible."

"Nevermind, let's just get these ships set to go for the morning."

Raph slipped fully out into the hall, glaring between his two brothers.

"What?" Mike whispered. "I wanted to sit in the chair before we slipped out."

"You nearly blew our cover Mike."

"Sorry…"

"Let's go. I saw something interesting before they came in," Don whispered.

Taking the lead, Raph slipped down the hall, peering through each one before continuing on. He would have made Leo proud, looking out more for his brothers' well being than charging right in and out. Scowling to keep the mushy feelings at bay, he quickly made his way out of the building and through a couple alleyways, stopping as soon as they were a good distance away. "So what'd ya find?" he asked impatiently, turning to his brother.

"The Asian man's name is Basir," Don reported. "Don't know if it's his whole name, but it's something. Some cross-reference and logs show that he makes the trip over here every six months to do business with someone, a man by the name of Dorin. Records show that he lives out in the countryside, a day or so drive past the farmhouse by my thoughts."

"Really? You got all that in that little time?" Mikey asked incredulously.

Don grinned smugly. "Sure did baby bro."

Raph smirked. "Way to go Don. Let's go find him," he demanded starting to walk off.

"Hold on, we should probably let Sensei know what's up. Plus grabbing the Battle Shell might be a good idea."

The red banded turtle stopped in his tracks. Don did have a point. "Fine. Pit stop at home then we go find this guy."

"Whoo! Let's get a going," Mikey said in a sing song voice, running ahead.

He quickly ran off after Mikey with a rueful shake of his head, Don right behind him. They were on the move again and Raph was ready to kick more butt to get to Leo.

* * *

Basir rubbed his temples with both hands as he leaned forward against his quarter's desk. The men had almost let the turtle out of its crate again. They had waited another day since the last time the crate was opened to try the first feeding. He had seen the look in the creature's eyes. He wanted to be sure it wouldn't try to escape. He made sure water was hosed in through one of the holes for a few minutes each night as to not dehydrate the creature and thought it was time for some food. However, since the feeding had not gone well, he honestly didn't think the creature had gotten anything to eat. He could not have his prize fighter losing strength if he was to gain winnings in the ring and go on to take control of his country. He would be sure to try again in a couple days. By weakening the creature, they would be able to safely feed it.

He pushed out a sigh. The creature was resourceful, he'd give it that. If he had not accompanied the men again, he'd be out at least a couple men. Not that he really cared about these hired help, but good men were so hard to come by and they were expensive too. Just another day and they would be off the boat. Finally, he never thought he'd long for solid ground or the sand in his home country so much.

A knock sounded at his door, followed by it opening as a man strode in.

"I hope things will be secure when we arrive. What will we do if the other tribes hear of this creature?" Omar asked.

With a sigh, he nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Everything will be secure. You have no need to worry about anything other than these… men that will be handling the crate so that they will do as they are told. I don't want another feeding accident so we will not feed him again until he is secure on our own property under our more capable men."

"Agreed. I do not trust these men and while I see the need for them, I could not help but think the trip would have gone easier if we had but two of our own men."

"Yes. As I would've preferred, but then again, we did not know we would be bringing home such a prize." Basir gave another sigh. "Just another day and things will be as secure as we would like."

Omar nodded. "One more day. If anything is needed, I will be watching over the men."

"Good."

With Omar gone, Basir rubbed his forehead once more. "One more day," he whispered to himself again. Oh how he loathed the pathetic men for hire right about now.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Leo stared blankly at the wood in front of him. He had lost track of the days he had spent inside the wooden crate. Twice he had tried to escape as soon as they pulled the lid off. Both tries had failed. Now they only gave him water with a hose through one of the holes. He had to be grateful for that little thing, but he had to keep trying to get himself out of here. His brothers didn't know he was so far from home. He had to at least contact them somehow, but what could he do locked up in a crate?

His stomach rumbled loudly. The feeding they had tried to do however long ago didn't go well. He hadn't gotten to eat a thing, being more focused on escaping his wooden prison. Jumping as soon as the lid came off, he was grabbed from both sides and shoved back down. In his weakened state and with the confined space, the fight he did put up wasn't enough. The lid slammed shut shortly after that, a mere slice of an apple tossed in before it was latched once more. After the men had gone, he greedily ate the little bit of apple.

Now he wished for another little slice. Anything to calm his rumbling stomach.

With no way to break out of the crate, Leo focused his mind inwardly to ignore the ache of hunger. He tried to meditate, having trouble finding a center in which to find peace. With a sigh, he tried to contact Splinter. A wandering mind didn't help the connection any when he finally felt his mind brush that of his Master's. The brush of his mind against Splinter's became stronger as he felt the rat latch onto him.

"_My son."_

"_Father…"_

"_Are you alright."_

"_I am whole Master. Weak, but no injuries."_

"_I am glad. We are worried for you my son."_

"_I know." _Leo knew this without a shadow of a doubt, trying to hold onto the feeling of his family.

"_Your brothers will find you. They have just informed me of what they have found and are following leads. Do you know where you are?"_

"_On a ship. Beyond that, I don't know. Perhaps they are sailing to Japan or maybe China, but these do not look like Japanese or Chinese men."_

"_But Asian nonetheless?"_

"_Yes Sensei. How did you know?"_

"_Your brothers, or rather Donatello, found out the name of a man who comes to our city twice a year. His name is Basir. They seem to think he is the one in charge of what happened."_

Leo nodded to himself, storing the name in his memory. He could feel his mind fading from the astral plain as his thoughts blearily wandered once more.

"_Hold on my son. You will be home again soon," Splinter called urgently._

"_I will… Sensei…"_

The blue banded turtle slouched against the wall behind him, worn and tired. The hunger ache in his belly roared again. He shoved the feeling from his mind with difficulty and let his eyes close as he felt sleep over take him.

* * *

Not knowing how long he had slept, he was woken by a new rocking feeling. It was more violent and jerky than before accompanied by many shouts.

"Careful! Do not break crate!"

Sitting up straighter, Leo blinked sleep from his eyes. They were to their destination? His crate continued to move and when it didn't stop, Leo blankly came to the conclusion that they were traveling on land by foot now. Or else it had to be a very long ship as it seemed to be quite a long time as he listened to the men shout back and forth.

He didn't remember falling asleep again and blinked once more. The crate was finally still, however he could hear whispered voices.

"Not until we are back on our property. We will be there within a few hours."

"But he will starve."

"He will be easier to manage."

"But…"

"Do not question me!"

Silence rang through the air for a few moments followed by a cough.

"Well, you're the boss."

"Indeed."

"Raiders!" a new voice suddenly shouted.

Leo pressed his ear to the wall of the crate, listening to the chink of blades crossing in a fight followed by some gunshots. He began pounding against the wood, not wanting to be stuck in there with a fight going on around him. His pounding continued until he could feel blood running down his knuckles. Pain searing through his hand, he focus on an area by one of the holes. Minutes trickled by as the sounds began to fade, but he was rewarded by the splintering of wood. Standing, Leo stood back and ran at the weakened wood. Crashing through, he fell to his hands and knees. Forcing himself to stand, Leo blearily looked around, the sun shining brightly down on him.

Blood stained the sand around him. Many, but not all of the men lay in scattered heaps. Some ragged, others dressed with a little more class.

Cautious, Leo took a step forward. When a hand reached out for his ankle, he bolted forward, not deeming it wise to stay here with his weakened strength. Shouts followed his running feet, growing louder the faster he tried to run. A weight pounced on him, shoving him to the ground. Flipping over onto his shell, he shoved the rough looking man off him. Two of the men came at him as he made it to his feet once more. They all had short dark hair and darkly tanned skin. Some sported tattoos, while other had many piercings.

Surrounded, Leo braced himself, waiting for them to lunge for him. He side stepped the first one, landing a punch to the man's nose. Feeling bone break under his knuckles, he turned to the next as a yelp rang out. A duck and roll followed by a kick to the man's stomach had this one down clutching his mid section as a gun dropped to the sand.

Panting and shaking from weakened strength, he took in the last four men. Two had the same tats and piercings, the other two looked a little more sophisticated and dressed a little nicer without the markings or metal adoring their skin.

The two tatted men raced forward, fists recoiled for a punch.

"Do not kill him," one of the more in charge men yelled out.

Leo ducked and spun around the first, hand coming down for a chop to the man's neck, sending him to the ground. With the other, he jumped out of range of the incoming fist, dodging punch after punch, one landing cheaply against his cheek. Growling, Leo slipped to the side of the man and pinched a pressure point on the man's neck. Briefly watching the man fall to the ground, Leo turned his gaze to the two men in charge of the operation. He glared darkly at them, challenging them to come forward. He wouldn't not be caught again and kept from his family.

"Contain him!" the dark hair man ordered.

The second one with blonde hair and a little more muscled lunged for him, grabbing at his arms.

Leo jumped back, eying what was strapped to this man's back. "My swords…" he whispered under his breath. Smirking slightly, he let the man continue to try and grab at him as to conserve what little strength he had left while tiring out his opponent. Slipping behind him, Leo pulled both katana blades out of their sheaths and swung at the attacking man. Not being fast enough, the man found the blades cutting deep into his side as he fell to the ground with a groan.

Turning his gaze away from him, Leo looked at the last man left standing. This one glared at him darkly with a greedy glint in his eyes. The blue banded turtle adjusted his grip on his blades and waited, feeling his muscles shake from exertion.

"No one escapes Basir," the man hissed.

_No one except me,_ Leo thought wryly. With a smirk, he took a deep breath to gather his strength and lunged forward. No one would keep him from getting home to his family. He feinted a right swing and brought up his left blade, catching the man in the left side.

Blood dribbling down, Basir lunged to the right, picking up a long rifle and aiming for the turtle.

Leo dodged the shot to his feet and rolled to the right. Coming up behind the broken crate, he waited for the man to round the broken wood, he himself going the same direction. Stopping behind the confused man, he let one katana drop to the sand and gripped the man by the back of the neck. "You will not keep me contained," he hissed in the man's ears. As a gasp rang out, Leo pinched the pressure point until the man collapsed at his feet.

Looking around at the unmoving bodies, Leo merely stood still to catch his breath. He knew he had to get away. One of them could wake up any minute. Grabbing up his katana and the sheath from the dead man, he made a run for it out into the dessert, grabbing up a cloak like piece of clothing from what looked to be from one of the raiders his captives had shouted about. He hoped he was not going deeper into the hot terrain as he had to get back to where the ship had docked to hopefully catch a ride home. He longed to return to his family as quickly as he could.

Leo kept running, the cloak flapping around him as nothing but sand and more sand could be seen. It didn't seem to end as he continued on. His legs shook as he kept putting one foot in front of the other. His run quickly reduced to a walk as his chest heaved for air, only able to drag in hot, humid breaths. Blearily staring ahead, he kept on, feet dragging as his progress was barely anything at all now. His stomach rumbled violently, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth. Water and food were the only things on his mind, but water was more important right now. He berated himself for not checking to see if the men had any water on them. Surely one of them had something, but even if he wanted to go back, he couldn't tell which way was back. The wind that ripped passed him, blew away any tracks he made as soon as his feet left the sand for another step.

Vision wavering in the heat, he could've sworn he saw a pool of water. Getting closer to it, Leo felt his heart drop. It was only sand. Licking dry lips, he focused on keeping his feet moving. Lasting a few steps longer, he couldn't help but collapse to the hot sand in a heap. A shadow soon loomed over him, cooling the air slightly as he felt darkness finally take over him, not having the strength to find out who was standing over him.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

They were finally on the road, Raph himself driving the Battle Shell out of the city as they headed to Dorin's estate. Apparently according to Don's research, this man was also a billionaire. He snorted. He hated rich guys and their snobby attitudes. He knew his patience would be tried, but he would try his best to keep a lid on his rage. Finding Leo counted on succeeding in that. What worried him was not being able to get anything out of Dorin that would be of any use to them. Really? What could the man tell them? Where the ship went? When it could get there? They could only hope so.

"Lighten up Raph, you look like you're going to kill the steering wheel there," Mikey joked beside him.

"Make more cracks like that and I'll drive us off the road."

"Picky, picky. I'm just looking out for the truck. I'm sure we'd like it to stay in one piece. We all know you'll be the one to break it."

Growling, his knuckles paled as he tightened his grip against the steering wheel again. He couldn't lash out at Mikey no matter how much he wanted to. Leo was their priority right now, not pummeling Mikey. The image of doing so however was an entertaining thought and eased his frustrated mind.

"Could we please just focus guys?" Don asked exasperated. "This is going to take two days tops without stopping just to reach Dorin's estate as it is. We don't need to be slowing down."

Raph grunted, not muttering an apology as Mikey did, but left the argument alone. After awhile of silence and staring at the dark stretch of highway, he couldn't help but let his mind wander. Was Leo alright? Alive? Would they make it there in time? He wanted to get to his brother right this instant, his frustration growing once more as he knew they couldn't yet.

Turning his thoughts on their brief time back home before the departure, he let Master Splinter's words and his own promise to find his brother soothe his rage.

"_My sons," Splinter spoke as they entered the lair. "Any progress on finding your brother?"_

"_We think we have a lead," Don spoke up hopefully. "It's slight, but it could make a difference."_

_Raph refused to hold on to hope and yet he couldn't help but feel it welling up inside him at the same time. This lead just had to reveal something that would be of use._

_As Don began to explain about Basir, the biannual trips to America, and the man by the name of Dorin that was always visited, Raph tuned out most of it, wandering over to the TV area. Right above the TVs was a picture of the family. Leo couldn't have looked happier in that picture. If he remembered right, it was taken on his birthday either by April or Casey. April most likely he decided. No matter what Casey said, the klutz would've broken the camera._

_The picture tore at his heart. "We'll bring you home Leo," he whispered. "We'll be together again and I will protect them as we search for you. No matter what."_

_He would do anything to protect Don, Mikey, and Master Splinter. He couldn't lose another family member. The thought of losing Leonardo permanently was more than he could bear to think about. Despite all their bickering and fighting, he didn't want to lose his big brother and best friend. He would never admit these words to the rest of his family. They knew he cared for Leonardo, wished for his safety. He just would not go all soft on them now._

"_And how long is the trip to Dorin's home?" Splinter's voice broke him out of his thoughts._

"_Two days by my calculations," Don answered. "Even with a couple stops we should make good time. We'll take the same route as if to go to the farmhouse, but drive right past it for another day or so."_

"_Good. Be careful. We do not know what you might encounter with Dorin. If at all possible, do not reveal yourselves to him. Stay hidden and find other ways to find your answers. However, if necessary…"_

"_Kick his butt?" Raph supplied eagerly._

"_Raphael, a little more tact will earn you your answers to your brother's whereabouts quicker than to… 'kick his butt'."_

_He looked away, knowing Splinter was right, but still longing to do so anyway._

"_But if you must," Splinter went on. "You have my blessing to do what you deem you must do in order to bring your brother home."_

"_No worries Sensei, we'll get some answer and find Leo," Mikey spoke up with determination. "Just one thing… I call shotgun!"_

_Raph slapped his forehead as his over energized brother ran for the elevator. This was going to be a long drive._

"_I just have to grab a few supplies and then we can head out," Don said as he headed for the lab._

"_I'll grab some food to shove in Mike's face when he gets too annoying."_

"_I heard that!"_

"_Never whispered it bro." Raph snickered and headed for the kitchen, gathering some snacks for the three of them. If he could help it, the only stop they would be making would be at Dorin's home._

"_Be safe my sons, you will bring him home. That, I have no doubt," Splinter's words echoed in his mind._

Raph sighed as he focused on the road. Mikey grew silent and the only thing he now heard was Don's tapping on the laptop's keyboard. There was going to be security around the man's house no doubt. Don wanted to be prepared and find out what they were dealing with. Raph's own way of dealing with things would just be to charge in, but he knew Don would be right. They needed a plan of action. Oh how he missed Leo right about now.

A light behind them in the rear view mirror caught his eyes. He at first slowed to just let the vehicle pass. He wasn't in the mood to get in a fight over the road. However when the car kept right up to their rear bumper, Raph slammed his foot on the gas pedal, fed up with the tailing car. Speeding up had a less desirable effect. The car sped up as well, but stayed on their bummer.

Muttering under his breath, Raph again increased their speed, not worried about local law enforcement. They were far enough out of the city that he knew where the cops liked to camp out from their frequented trips to the farmhouse.

The jolt to the truck threw him against the steering wheel. "What the hell?"

"What's going on?" Don asked.

"We got a tailgater," Raph growled.

"A really ugly one too," Mike commented.

"How can ya tell?"

"Anyone who drives a boxy car like that has got to be ugly."

Raph rolled his eyes and knew Donny would be too. "Moron," he muttered.

"What did you say?"

"I'm going to try speeding up again."

"Don't attract the cops. We don't need to be pulled over. Not only will it slow us down, I don't think we want the authorities hunting us either," Don reasoned.

With a curt nod, Raph increased their speed for the third time. He swerved around a car in front of them, hopping back into the right lane. When the car behind them followed their actions, Raph made a quick turn off on the closest exit, driving into a less populated city. Making as many turns as he could and as fast as the Battle Shell would allow without tipping over, he made a disorganized U turn and back tracked to the highway. Approaching the on ramp, he saw nothing behind them and breathed a sigh of relief.

That relief was short lived as the car roared up behind them a few seconds later.

"Gah! What do I have to do to get rid of this guy?"

"Shoot a missile at him," Mikey simply suggested.

Raph glared at him before turning his eyes back to the road, thinking it over.

"What?..."

"Not a bad idea," Raph admitted.

"But there could be civilians in there Raph," Don argued.

"And how many civilians are going to chase an armored truck?"

"… Robbers might."

"Well then, Mikey shoot the missile."

"On it captain." Mikey pounded the 'fire' button.

The black car swerved to the side, letting the missile pass as it drove right up next to them.

Raph glanced over, glaring with hatred at the driver.

"You'll never find him," a Foot ninja yelled. "And we'll be rid of you three as well. The Master will be pleased!"

"Shut yer yap," Raph yelled back, slamming his finger down on a different button to his right. A whirling blade popped out of the side of the Battle Shell, slicing into the boxy car, cutting that side of the car in half before it could pull away. "Now Mike!"

Mikey hit the button again, a missile firing and hitting home this time, the boxy car flying upward and exploding upon impact as the Battle Shell raced on.

"Whoooo!" Mikey yelled. "We got 'em!"

"Yes, but let's just get out of here," Don said quickly.

"On it bro." Raph kept up the speed of the truck until they were a good distance away from the site of the explosion. There were sounds of faint sirens in the distance, but at least their tail was finally gone. Slowing to a respectable speed, he drove once more for Dorin's estate, keeping a careful watch of the road behind them as well. He almost hoped there would be anther Foot car chase. He wanted to see another explosion.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

The next time Leo woke, the rocking had returned, gentle and comforting. It was almost enough to put him back to sleep again. His surroundings were dark, making him wonder where he was. Pushing his eyes open, he blinked to clear them. It was dark, but he was still outside. He could see the multitude of stars just above him in all their shining glory. It was a more beautiful sight than what he could see in the city. Shifting his gaze, he looked for the source of the rocking, fearing he was being carried by whoever was standing over him when he had first passed out.

Below him was a black horse, walking gently through the desert. It had a flowing black mane and a light shine to its thin fur.

Fearing that he had been captured again, he carefully looked around for the owner of the horse, trying not to draw attention to himself. Seeing no one, he raised an eyeridge in confusion. What was going on? Where was the person who had stood over him? Where was this horse talking him?

Before he could think on this anymore, he felt unconsciousness swallow him once more.

The next time he woke, there was no movement that he could feel. Opening his eyes, he found himself lying in the sand. A few large rocks stood around him, a pool of water in front of him. He stared at it, wondering if it was just another mirage. His stomach rumbled once more making him realize just how hungry and thirsty he was. His tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth.

Cautiously, he reached out to poke a finger into the water. He tilted his head as he felt it. It was cool and smooth. Nothing like a mirage…

He scooped up some of the water and drank greedily until he had his fill, grateful that it was real water. Sitting up, he looked around for the horse that had carried him, but saw nothing but darkness and sand. It was cooler now that it was night and would make for easy travel. However, he still had a food problem. There was nothing to eat out here. He would have to find his way to wherever the ship had docked and hopefully find something for food there. But that raised another question. Which way was the dock?

He stood and looked back at the water, cursing himself for not having something to carry water in. He should have checked the men who had attacked him for a canteen or something. Anything would've been better than nothing. But he couldn't stay here forever either. With a sigh, he began walking, heading east by what he could tell from the stars. He climbed a hill of sand and spotted a black stallion below. He looked down on it, deciding that this had to be the one that had carried him when he collapsed. It didn't seem to have an owner just as he had thought before.

Climbing down the hill of sand, he drew closer to it. It looked up at him, watching him with a steady gaze. He took a few more steps towards it, stopping as the horse skittered away a few feet, watching him once more as it stood alert.

Leo stood still, watching the horse with curiosity. He didn't quite want to just leave yet as he was grateful to it for bringing him to some water, but there was also no one else out here. He didn't know which way to go and had no way to contact anyone. He could be lost out here for days. Even if he had just someone, even a horse, to talk to or to help him get through the desert at a faster pace, he might spend less time out here. He would get back to his family sooner.

With that in mind, he took another step closer to the horse as to which the horse took another step back. This went on for the next three steps that Leo took. Not getting anywhere at the moment, Leo just stood there watching the horse. It eventually started digging its nose into the sand, finding something edible beneath.

Curious, Leo bent down and began digging at the sand. Just a little underneath, he found bits of wild grass. He smiled wryly and plucked what little grass he found. Standing, he held it out the horse. "You still hungry?" he asked of it.

The horse seemed to tilt his head and took a step forward before stepping back again.

"It's alright. You can trust me," Leo spoke encouragingly.

The horse took a step forward and stopped, watching him closely.

Leo waited patiently, keeping the horse's attention, encouraging with his words. After a few tries, the horse took a few more steps, slowly closing the distance to soon snatch the grass from his hand. He reached up and gently stroked the horse's snout and then its neck. "That a boy," he murmured. "You're pretty strong aren't you?"

The horse neighed and seemed to nod.

He chuckled, stroking the horse's neck again. "And have a lot of spirit too."

The horse nudged him in the shoulder and nipped at his bandana tails.

"Hey stop that," Leo teased the horse. He patted the horse once more. "What do you say? Want to help me find my way out of here?"

The horse let out a neigh and nudged him again. This time almost knocking Leo over and neighing again.

"I'll take that as a yes?" Leo laughed as it started prancing around him. "Bit of a show off to huh?"

He stared at the horse, deciding that if it was to travel with him, he wanted to name it. He thought quietly, watching it prance about. "Kachiuma," he said suddenly. "Because you have a lot of spirit."

The horse neighed, standing by his side again as if to agree.

"Well then, let's see if we can get me home then." Leo reached upward to climb up to ride Kachiuma, but the horse skittered away.

"So I can't ride you huh?"

The horse snorted.

"Oh I see. It's going to be like that, is it?" Leo laughed at the horse and began watching, noting that it did indeed follow him. "At least I have a friend. You wouldn't happen to know the direction to the docks would you?"

Kachiuma snorted.

"I thought not."

The two of them started walking, Leo wishing for food himself. The only thing he saw was sand and a few cacti. Not really edible for him. And even grass was scarce when he had looked to gain some trust in the horse. He would have to keep an eye out for something he could eat. He felt weak from lack of food, but at least he had had some water. One problem was better than two. Perhaps there was some sort of desert fruit nearby. Anything he could he eat would help if he could find it.

He walked on with a sigh, the cloak fluttering about him in the cool night breeze. It was going to be a long walk…

* * *

Basir glared out in the darkness. He and a few of the hired men had woken up after the raider attack. The turtle creature was gone. Omar was dead. He couldn't lose his prize and had raced into the desert to find it, threatening the lives of the men if they didn't follow him. That was hours ago. There was no trace of the creature anywhere. The wind had blown away any sort of tracks the creature might have made.

He let loose a primal scream of frustration. All that work and his prize was gone! He scowled and turned back. They would make for home and then perhaps he would send his more trusted men to search for the creature. He would not lose it so easily.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The rest of the drive out to Dorin's estate was quiet, too quiet if you asked him. Raph's grip on the wheel never loosened after they lost the Foot car that had followed them. Drawing close to the property, he parked the Battle Shell off on a hidden side road. With the deserted road and dozens of trees, he doubted it would be spotted, but now as a good as any time to be cautious.

"Now what brainiack? The guy have any security on that big house of his?" Raph asked as he sized up what he could see of the mansion from their position. It was three stories tall and looked massive, windows everywhere and an elegant dark brown siding to go with it.

"Lots of security," Don answered. "Never seen so much for a countryside house. If this was the Foot tower, that'd be another story, but it isn't."

"Bet he's trying to hide something important," Mikey joined in. "Maybe they've got Leo here and didn't send him off on the boat instead."

As much as Raph wanted that to be true, he was ready to believe either possibility. It didn't matter as much to him, they were going to bring Leo home no matter what. "Anyway to bypass the security?" He could always punch a nice hole in the wall. And at this point, it would be welcoming.

"There's a glitch in the electric fencing. If I rewire it, it'll shut off and still transmit an ok signal to the house."

"Good. Let's go." Raph wasted no time in getting out of the Battle Shell and sneaking through the large trees up to the fence that surrounded the house. He waited for Don to find the power box and begin the rewiring process.

"Done yet?" Mikey whispered.

Both Raph and Don hushed him, Raph slapping a hand over the excitable turtle's mouth for good measure.

A few seconds later, Don nodded, grinning triumphantly.

Not wasting another second, Raph slipped up and over the fence, using the few trees in the lawn to make it to the window. Crouching beneath it, he looked in, seeing a dark room. It seemed big from what light the moon gave, but he couldn't be sure of what could be in there. He turned a questioning gaze to Don, who pointed upwards.

The roof. Why didn't he think of that?

Raph slipped his shutho spikes out of his belt, deftly slipping them on and climbing up the side of the mansion. Upon reaching the third story window, he felt a hand on his ankle. Jerking out of the sudden grip, his gaze snapped down do Don. He rolled his eyes as his purple banded brother pointed at the window. Geez, give him a heart attack already. He glared at Mikey's beaming grin as Don slipped the window open.

"Do that again and I won't look first," Raph hissed, climbing through the window after Don.

"Sorry," Don whispered back.

"Where to bros?" Mikey asked quietly.

"That way."

Raph followed Don down the directed hall, trusting that his brother knew where he was going. He tried a few doors along the way, but each room proved to be empty. No people sleeping, no torture devices, and no Leo. He wished Leo was here so they could find him sooner, but he really doubted the reality of that. If the Foot wanted to get rid of Leo, they wouldn't keep him here instead of the tower where it was more guarded. Especially when they could just ship of him off. So that meant they were answer hunting. And that begged the question. Where was Dorin?

Going through a third hall that turned left off the second one, Don pointed at a tall elegant door, which without a doubt had to be Dorin's bedroom.

Raph slipped up to the door and eased it open slowly. It opened quietly into a dark and large bedroom. The massive bed was right up against the far wall, directly facing the approaching turtles. Inside the bed was dark haired, sleeping Asian man.

Dorin.

A hand reached out to grab Dorin's neck, waking the man instantly. A sai quickly came up to the man's chin. "Alert any guard and you'll lose that thick neck of yers. Got it?"

Dorin nodded quickly yet carefully.

"What do you know about Basir?" Not gaining an answer, Raph shook the man, digging his sai in a little deeper, yet not enough to draw blood yet. "We know you meet him twice a year. Answer me," he growled dangerously.

"I don't have to tell you anything," the man hissed.

"I'd watch your tongue dude. Raphy's a little mad," Mikey warned, absently twirling a chuck.

"Oh he's more than mad," Don agreed.

"I have to agree with them," Raph whispered lowly. He could gut the man right now, but they needed answers.

Dorin blinked, slowly starting to tremble. "He… he… comes every six months. Wants to know about our dealings within New York City. It's always stocks."

"But this time it wasn't."

"No," Dorin shook his head, agreeing with the red banded turtle. "It was much more. There was another like you. Out cold, blue band around his eyes. They were shipping him off to Pakistan. Something about winning fights for Basir. I had nothing to do with it. I swear!"

Raph's growl increased. His big brother made to fight for some low life from halfway around the world. Basir was going to pay. If Leo was hurt in any way, he was going to make the man pay. "And you're sure this is where they're going?"

"Cuz if it's not, we'll be back dude, and boy is Raph going to be in a rage. You don't want to see him angry," Mikey said with a slight smile.

"And this isn't angry?" Dorin choked out.

"No," Raph muttered lowly. He smacked the man's head against the bed frame, angered that Leo wasn't being kept here, that he really was on one of those boats. At least they knew the destination, but Basir had so much a head start on them.

"We'll get to them," Don encouraged. "Come on, we'll have to catch the soonest boat. It's going to take two days just to get back to the harbor and on the right boat."

"With his driving, it'll be only a day," Mikey joked.

Raph stomped off and out of the room. He was not going to wait around. They were going to get on a stupid boat as soon as they could.

"Why not a plane?" Mikey asked, running to keep up with Raph.

"It's harder to slip on unnoticed," Don explained.

"And too far to an airport," Raph grouched, slipping back out the window. They would be lucky if the police didn't pull them over on their way back to the city.

* * *

Leo's footsteps dragged forward, one foot in front of the other, his walk slow through the desert. The sun wasn't fully up in the sky yet, but it was hopelessly hot. He pulled the hood of the cloak over his head for some shade from the oppressive heat, yet it didn't seem to do that much to cool him off. He wished for water. And food. His stomach screamed at him, his mouth was dry, his vision was bleary. The only thing he was conscious of was Kachiuma walking beside him. He held one end of his belt in his left hand, the other end tied around the horse's neck to keep them from separating. He was slowly losing his mind and hating to admit it, but depending more on the horse than the thought.

Direction and time had no meaning by the time the sun was fully over him. The heat had increased again and he couldn't tell if he was actually walking or just trudging along one tiny step at a time.

He pat Kachiuma's nose. "We'll get home," he said encouragingly, barely realizing his words. "And then we can feed the elephants. Mikey loves to ride the elephants. Until they feed him goats that is."

Kachiuma snorted and started walking in another direction. The change in direction nearly knocked him off his feet.

Following, Leo waved his hand at nothing in particular. He tried to shake of the illusions, but they kept playing with his mind. At one point he thought he saw Raph chasing Mikey and then Mikey pausing to stick his tongue out at him before resuming his run from an enraged Raphael.

He shook his head again, griping the make shift leash tighter.

"I have to get a hold of myself," Leo muttered to himself. "I'm not going to get home like this."

He looked around.

Sand, sand, and more sand.

"Ok, first things first. Need water."

His eyes landed on a rather large cactus. Stopping to stand in front of it, he sized it up and nodded to himself. He'd seen it done on TV, one of those documentary shows Don was always watching. With a quick, if not sloppy slice of his katana, an arm of the cactus fell to the ground. Careful of the needles, he tilted the piece of cactus towards his mouth, delicious water pouring in. He smiled and drank what was there. It wasn't much, but it was good enough.

Sliding his katana back in the sheath on his back, he looked at the horse. "I wish you knew the way back to the docks. Or at least out of the sun. It'd be better to walk at night."

Kachiuma snorted and pushed against Leo's shoulder with his snout.

Leo chuckled. "I know. It's here somewhere isn't it?"

The house neighed in happy response.

He began walking with the horse again, hoping to find some shelter to wait out the day in. Maybe a rock formation or a large hole in the ground. Anything to provide shade until the coolness of night rolled in.

It seemed to be a few hours before they found even something remotely like shelter. Leo had to look at it twice and even touch the side of the old makeshift house that seemed to be standing in the desert. It seemed real enough to the touch so he rounded it, looking for an entrance. As he did so, he saw more hidden rocklike houses within the hill of sand. Abandoned village maybe?

"Maybe it belonged to the sand people," Leo joked.

Kachiuma snorted and nudged Leo towards the door.

"Ok, ok, I'm going in." Entering, he held the door for the horse to follow him in. Closing it, he dropped his belt/leash for now and searched through the rock shelves and cupboards. There were four cupboards on the left wall. Three were empty, the fourth held a great prize. A large canteen heavy with water and what appeared to be fruit of some kind.

"Someone must have been here recently," Leo said warily. He didn't see it wise to stay, yet he would not survive day after day walking through the heat, treasured find or not.

Kachiuma moved to stand by the door, ears alert, snatching a look at Leo before looking back at the door.

Leo tilted his head to the side. "You look like a guard horse. Going to stop anyone from coming in?"

The horse seemed to nod, causing Leo to laugh.

"Alright, we'll stay to wait out the day." He sat down at the far end of the room, back resting against the wall as he slowly ate one of the four fruit. Without having much, he was going to saver what food he'd managed to find. It calmed his stomach and cleared his mind even more. He stared off blankly at the wall, promising himself he would find some way out of this desert.


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When he finally opened his eyes, Leo blearily looked around in attempt to place where he was. As the hard sand walls of the house came into focus, he rubbed a hand over his face as he realized it was the house he had entered in the deserted village. He rubbed his eyes and stood, taking in the sight of the sleeping horse, effectively blocking the door from any intruder entering. He stretched, feeling refreshed now. Looking outside the small window, he saw the sun setting. With a furrowed brow, he shook his head. How much time had really passed? He felt too rested to have slept just a few hours. It had to be the next night after. Not what he wanted, but at least he had more energy to walk.

He stood next to the little window, waiting for the last rays of sun to disappear on the horizon. He had to formulate a better plan. He would die out here in this heat if he didn't do something different. True he had Kachiuma with him. He doubted the horse would go without food or water for long, so neither would he, but that wouldn't help him get out of the desert.

Frowning, an idea slowly slid into his mind. Even though this village looked deserted, shouldn't there be something to tell him the way to the docks, or at least to a more populated village? As soon as it was dark and Kachiuma was awake, he would find out. One way or the other, nothing would stop him from finding his way home.

An hour passed before it was truly dark. Kachiuma stood behind him, watching him with big eyes. He smiled and rubbed the large snout. "'Bout time we get out of here, huh?" he asked the horse.

Kachiuma snorted and nodded his large head.

With a laugh, Leo made his way to the door, horse in tow. Cautiously peeking out the door in case someone else could be wandering these sands, he saw nothing and exited the house. The air was much cooler, a welcome relief to the heat he had been walking though a day and a half ago.

A good half dozen other buildings stood nearby. Nothing about their positions assumed any semblance of order, but that did not deter him. Something in one of them would help him, just as the food in the first had. Patting his belt where he stashed the remainder of his find, he was satisfied it was still there. Not that anyone would take it with no one except him and the horse being the only one around, but it was still a relief to have it after so long of having nothing.

The next building looked just like the first. Pretty much empty except for a few cupboards, a table, chair, and bed. Everything was empty, as if the owner had cleared everything out long ago. Not detracted from his search, he went on to the next one, Kachiuma always following at his side, the leash of his belt limp in his hand. The third, fourth, and fifth proved to be the same. Same furniture, same emptiness. It was as if the whole village had cleared out in a hurry for some reason. That led to more caution as he approached the last building. From the outside it looked just as empty as the others. Maybe a little bigger, but not by much. However, this one was more furnished. It had a large bed, many cabinets, and an elegant wooden table.

"Now who would flee with all this left behind?" Leo mused. "Certainly someone of great importance lived here. So… what scared them off?"

Kachiuma seemed to shrug in response as they walked further in.

Leo resumed his opening and closing of cabinet doors, the only place he could see that would hold something hidden. He was dejected from finding anything by the time he reached the last cabinet. Nothing at all that he had found would help him. Except for the few dried fruit he managed to find one house back, but it looked more liked dried dust than an edible piece of fruit. It wasn't hard to leave that untouched.

Opening the final cabinet, Leo's heart soared in victory. Laid out in readable condition was a scroll. Opening up his find, he was even more elated to find it was a map. He couldn't understand any of the writing, but the pictures showed a route through the desert easily enough. And at the end of the route, the drawings resembled something of a harbor and ships that he was sure that this was the docks.

"Yes!" he cheered in triumph.

Finding the docks meant that he could go home. He would see his family again. The thought had him quickly striding out of the large house, stopping only to stare at what he saw before him. He took an involuntary step back, inadvertly running into Kachiuma.

A band of cloaked raiders stood in his path. There seemed to be twenty of them. At least that he could count. There could be more hidden somewhere, maybe even behind the other buildings. He wasn't going to assume otherwise at this point. Each of them held a long spear or sword in their hands. None of them looked as elegant or even as sharp as his own blades, but they would be just as deadly. Even the leader had a long pointed sword across his back, but this wasn't what he was worried about. It was the large black automatic gun in the man's hands. This man one looked more arrogant, more sure of himself than the others that followed him.

The leader spoke in a language that Leo did not understand. He cocked his head as the leader repeated it again.

"Sorry pal, not a clue as to what you're saying," he murmured.

The leader gave a shout and the other raiders flew forward.

Leo unsheathed his katana, catching the first spear with his left blade and the next one with his right. Side stepping, he slashed through the wooden pole of their spears and spun in a flying dragon kick to the first's chest, turning his body to land on the second one.

Standing, he took in the eighteen left, bracing himself, ready.

Their onslaught came quickly, not pattered like the Foot might have done, but erratic. One struck on the right, hard and fast, while another struck in front, weak and uncertain. The third came at the same time as the first two, angered and quick. Each swing was easily dodged, each strike blocked. It was becoming too easy.

Much too easy.

He had forgotten their leader as next eight went down, only alerted to his presence once more as a shot rang out, followed by a series of shots from the automatic weapon. Keeping himself moving, he only felt the heat of the bullets zipping past him, coming close enough as one bullet side swiped his cheek, touching it as if it was a graceful kiss of a lover.

Leaping to the left, followed by a quick leap to the right, he let the gunfire take out the remaining eight raiders.

The silence echoed as it was only him and the leader. A quiet neigh to the right alerting him to the fact that Kachiuma was still safe and sound.

The shots started again. Leo leapt left, running forward as he jumped high into the air. His blade sung true, swinging to the right as he landed behind the leader, cutting deep into the man's left shoulder.

The leader howled with pain, bringing up the gun with a wicked sneer, pulling the trigger tightly.

Leo only had time to dive to the ground and even that was not enough as he felt hot blood rush down his right thigh. Flipping back onto his feet, he used his momentum to carry him back up into the leader's face, kicking the gun out of the man's hand with his uninjured leg. Without giving the man a chance to retrieve the weapon, he swung his katana again, slicing through the man's chest.

A final scream had the man wiggling on the ground as his movements became weaker and weaker.

Leo wiped the blood off his sword with a careful movement against the cloak he wore. Saddened, he watched the man before him die. He had not wanted him to die, his followers that he had actually attacked himself being merely unconscious, but what happened had been inevitable. It was either him or the man. He had a family to get back to. Did this man too have someone to get back to?

Pain flared up his right leg, reminding him of the shot to his thigh. He pulled back a strip of the cloak and tied it tight above the wound to stem the flow of blood. It looked like the bullet had gone clean through, but he was not about to let himself bleed out from it. That done, he tried to take a step forward, only to fall to the sand, flat on his face. His right leg was starting to go numb.

A soft nudge to his shoulder had him looking around at Kachiuma, who neighed and nudged him again.

"What?" Leo asked, perplexed at what the horse wanted.

Kachiuma proceeded to shove Leo's shoulder and finally lay beside the turtle, neighing again.

"….I'm sorry? I still don't know…" Leo's brow furrowed. Just what was Kachiuma trying to tell him? Maybe show him something?

The horse snorted and let out a long neigh, inching closer to Leo.

The thought dawned on him like a strike of lightening. "You want me to ride you?"

Kachiuma neighed excitedly as if seeing Leo get it was a major achievement.

His own laughter surprised him, but the thought of riding instead of walking, especially when Kachiuma didn't seem to trust him enough before, was a welcome relief. Crawling carefully up onto the horse's back, it rose and started trotting into the night. Leo held on tightly, determined not to fall off and keep the bumps to his injured leg to a minimum.

He pulled the scroll from inside his cloak and compared to the stars above his head. It seemed they were going in the right direction, he only hoped the map was still accurate. His leg needed attention he could not get in the desert.


	12. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

The hold at the bottom of the large boat absolutely stunk. He could barely stand the smell without pressing a hand to his beak to block out the scent as much as he could. His baby brother didn't stray away from the action, holding his beak as if his nose might fall off otherwise. His genius of a brother merely pressed his own hand against his beak, but without the force Mikey displayed. Concentrating on the smell around him helped to take of the edge off his nerves. He was beyond stressed. The drive back to the city and to the harbor had been tense and quiet. For once, there was no more small talk. All focus was concentrated on getting to their brother to bring him home. Each of them wondered if Leo was already there, already thrown into the fights that Dorin spoke of. Raph knew that Leo would be able to hold out on any normal day in a fight, but what condition was he in? What about his opponents? Surely they would show his brother no mercy.

Raph began stalking the length of the hold to burn off nervous agitation. The ship they snuck aboard had left New York almost a day ago. According to the speed of the ship, Don guessed that it would be another four or five days, perhaps even a little more than a week until they got there. Sometimes the boat seemed faster so he couldn't tell if Don was very sure of his answer. He only hoped they would get to their brother in time, that he would be whole and in one piece.

"Dude, you're going to wear a hole in the floor and then the boat will sink," Mikey complained. "How would we get to Leo then?"

"I'm not going to wear a hole in the floor," he muttered lowly.

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Are two."

"Raph, Mikey. Please, I'm trying to concentrate…."

Raph halted his pacing and looked over at Don, who appeared squished in the corner of the hold between the wall and a large crate. His brother looked pale with a sickly green color across his cheeks. The poor turtle looked more seasick than he had ever seen anyone. "You ok Don?"

"I will be," Don murmured.

"How does a turtle get seasick anyways?" Mikey asked, jumping up on the crate next that hid half his brother.

"Easy. Said turtle gets on a boat," Raph chuckled.

"It doesn't work like that," Don protested.

"Oh yeah? How's it work then?"

Don merely shrugged. "An irrational function of the brain that suggests I'm losing my balance, interrupting the level of fluid within the internal membrane that helps one keep said balance."

Raph blinked. "Say what?"

"The rocking's messing with his brain," Mikey laughed, falling back on his shell on the crate. "Never would we think smart Donny would be the one to get sea sick."

"Go ahead, laugh. Might not be the same story on the way back. It'll be your turn."

Raph snickered, amused by the sight for just a moment, his thoughts turning a back to his elder brother. This led back to his pacing as he appeared to carve a new pathway into the hold. Donny would be fine. Being unsure about Leo however was agitating his already agitated nerves. He probably broke the speed limit the whole way to the city, but no one cared. They just had to make it to the harbor to catch a suitable ship. No one else except the crew seemed to be on the large freighter and even that seemed to be only a handful of men. No one would spot them or even hear them down in the hold no matter how much noise they made. That didn't stop him from constantly looking to the only exit, paranoia riding him in waves. Leo would be proud. Maybe. Proud that Raph was looking at more than charging into a fight, that he was actually taking care of his brothers, watching exits as Leo would, but not proud that he was gaining his brother's paranoia. He swore he would never become like this. Just look at him now…

Three days later, Don's sea sickness was gone. It had only lasted a few hours the first day, resurfacing only once that night for a short period of time. Otherwise, they were all still fine. They rationed what food and water they brought in their supplies. They would be fine for another two weeks if need be. Don had had the foresight to pack a lot of non perishables while he was explaining the situation to Splinter. He was ever grateful to the brainiack.

The noise that came from the door to the hold the night on the third day of their trip had his muscles strung tightly. He glanced at both Don and Mikey, alertness written across their faces. Without a word, the three disappeared between the many large crates of the hold. Silence settled for many minutes. Tired of waiting, he peered his head over the crate, narrowing his eyes one the figures before them. Two dozen of them, each of them with the mark of the Foot.

"We know you are here," one spoke up with an air of authority.

Raph rolled his eyes. Like that was going to work.

The leader made a motion and three ninjas dragged a figure out of the darkness.

He gasped as Mikey struggled in their grip.

"Hey, hey, watch the swords huh? You're going to poke someone's eye out with them."

A slap reverberated throughout the hold, silencing the orange turtle.

A growl escaped him, but he would not move. He itched to charge into battle, but gravely knew this could cost Michelangelo his life.

Another motion, a flurry of movement before anther figure was brought into the light. Purple showed brightly against green skin.

Eyes narrowing further, he noticed unlike Mikey, Don kept his mouth shut as he was dragged from his hiding place. He didn't have much time to contemplate this before he felt the sense of three figures behind him. Jumping up with a spin kick caught the three off guard, sending them with a smack into the wall of the ship.

"I advise coming out Raphael. Or your brothers could lose an arm, or a leg. Perhaps even their head."

"Yer just as heartless as yer Master," Raph growled, stepping out into the light.

"I try. As do my comrades."

"What do you want," Raph growled, cutting to the chase, keeping his eyes solely on the Foot leader to make sure his attention stay on him and him alone.

"Leonardo left in Pakistan. The Master doesn't want your interference. Your death would be better, but without your leader, you are lost."

"To hell with it. We're getting him back and that's that."

"Oh? How so? Two of your brothers are immobile. Any sudden movement from you and they'll be dead."

Raph smirked widely. "I don't think so." He cocked his head, indicating the free from of Donatello, a ninja silently lying at his feet. Michelangelo wasn't free, but in the second that stunned the rest of the ninja, Raph sent his sai flying, hitting the one holding Mikey.

"Thanks bro," Mikey beamed, snatching his chucks off the ground and leaping into battle with an enthusiastic yell.

Donatello doing the same, Raphael leapt for the leader, the one with the idiotic smirk that wasn't so satisfied with the situation any more.

He threw a right punch, slicing the air with his sai, barely missing the ninja's chest. No more words were exchanged, just the blows of battle. Bruises littered his body now, but he paid them no heed, focusing his anger on the ninja leader. With every thrust his frustration at not finding Leo fueling him on, he slashed left into the ninja's shoulder, kicking upward into the man's face as he felt the nose break with his strike, spinning around to let his heel connect with the ninja's skull.

Unconscious at his feet, Raphael felt nothing as he looked down at the still body of the ninja. It did nothing to bring his brother back. It was satisfying, but not as he had hoped. Looking upward, he leapt back into battle. A handful was left now, trying to fend off against his brothers. Don swung his staff with enough force to break bone, Mikey bounced and flew with enough speed to land harsh blows, Raph weaved in and out in unpredictable patters. The ninjas stood no chance, but fought on anyways.

With one ninja left, the man could only stare at them wide eyed as Don's bo whipped at his leg, connecting with a crack. Nunchucks slapped at his back while sai dug into his chest. He fell backwards despite his blocks against the attacks, unable to catch himself. Flat on his back, he gripped his sword tightly, determined to bring one of the turtles down with him in death.

Raph saw the blade as he moved, couldn't stop his forward momentum, but turned to the side, feeling the blade graze the left side of his plastron as he hit the floor of the hold. Rolling to the right, he jumped to his feet, but the ninja's eyes fell shut. He didn't know if he was dead or unconscious, just that he was no longer a threat. Pushing his hand against the wound, he was relieved to feel it was shallow and not serious.

"You ok Raph," Don fussed, moving his brother's hand.

"I'm fine," he muttered, glaring at Mikey to keep him from hovering over him too.

Don slipped a hand into his bag of supplies, bringing out gaze and some sort of bottle. Before he could utter a word, his brainy brother was patching him up. "We can't have you getting an infection before we find Leo."

Raph breathed out an impatient sigh, but nodded.

"How much longer do you think?" Mikey piped up.

"Maybe a few days," Don answered. "I don't think they'll be giving us any trouble, but I suggest we slip into the abandoned crew's quarters if there are any. Or perhaps another room. We don't want a repeat fight when some of them wake up. Of course they'll most likely abandon ship before we dock, but it's going to be better to lay low."

Nodding, he spared the ninjas one last look before following his brother out of the hold. Just a few more days, then the search for Leo would begin anew. No Foot ninja was going to stop them. Not when they were so close.


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Leo lay draped over Kachiuma's neck as the horse continued to walk on. Three days had passed and it was now night once more. His supplies were gone again, but that wasn't what he was worried about. His right leg was screaming at him, begging for attention. It had stopped bleeding days ago, but that didn't stop the pain every time Kachiuma trotted over hard packed sand. He preferred the softer parts of the sand, but even then keeping his leg still commanded all his attention. He checked the map for the fourth time in what could have been ten minutes. From his guessing, they had to be either an hour or a few hours away from the docks. Almost to his way home.

A groan escaped him as they crested a high sand hill, the upward motion jarring his leg more than he would have liked to admit. Going back down was easier, though Leo couldn't wait to get back home. He wasn't sure yet how he was going to be able to sneak aboard a ship if he could hardly walk. He hadn't tested it yet, but just standing was agony whenever he and Kachiuma stopped to rest for the day.

With a sigh, he found himself staring bleakly at the sand miles away as they continued on. It seemed like there was no end. He had to trust the map that the docks were nearby. So far there hadn't been another village since the one where he'd found the map. And that worried him just a little bit. Though truth be told, the desert wasn't really a place to build cities.

The next two hours went by in an agonizingly slow place. Leo wasn't even completely sure that such a short amount of time had lapsed, but the positioning of the moon and stars didn't lie. However, he was elated to see a few brown buildings up ahead, nearly blending in with the sand. Sitting up, he rubbed at his eyes just to be sure this wasn't just some mirage. Another look and it was still there. With a grin, he nearly gave a whoop of joy.

"Almost there Kachiuma!"

The horse snorted and threw its head as if in excitement, seeming to trot just a little bit faster.

Leo held on tightly, keeping his right leg as still as possible. He would worry about getting himself onto a ship once he found a suitable one heading for America. Preferably New York, but anything within the United States would be helpful. If he could find a pay phone, he could call his brothers if he needed help to get home. Oh how he wished for his shell cell right about now.

He pulled gently on the belt he was using as reigns on the horse and slowed to a walk. He didn't want to draw attention to himself if there were sleeping people in these homes. Each one was only one story tall as far as he could see above the sand. They had a crude look, but seemed to do the job. Most likely they kept out the heat during the day. Cautious that some could be awake, he held his breath as they walked through the village, dock appearing on the horizon. He could barely contain his thrill and keep from urging Kachiuma into a full out run. The next mile seemed to go by painfully slow as they neared the harbor, two large ships easily within view.

Pulling up next to one of the houses next to the docks, he frowned as he watched the activity go on about the ships. A dozen or more men seemed to be loading and unloading cargo, a third ship coming into view as it drew near from the open sea. Keeping to the darkest side of the house, he watched, wondering how he was going to get through to one of the ships, much less find out the destinations as to sneak aboard the right one.

One tall figure pulled his attention to the ship on the right. His eyes narrowed as he took in the figure of Basir. This was going to make things difficult.

"Hey you, get off that horse and keep moving. We have to have the ship unloaded before sun up," a voice suddenly barked.

Looking around, Leo spotted a muscular and rough looking man with black dreadlocks and dark tan skin looking at him.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Come on!"

Hesitating a moment longer, Leo slipped down to the ground, whispering for Kachiuma to stay put. Hopefully the horse would, but he had other worries to deal with. Like getting this man's attention off of him…

"MOVE IT!" the man roared.

"Coming…" Leo murmured, painfully hobbling over to the man. He unconsciously tugged the hood of his cloak further over his head, willing the pain in his leg to stop throbbing in time to his heart beat. He barely made it past where the man was standing before the man barked at him again.

"And get rid of this blasted cloak! It'll only get in the way."

Leo was too slow to stop the man from grabbing the hood and jerking it completely off of him.

A gasp echoed in his ears. "What… what are you?"

Eyes turned towards him as it grew quiet.

Leo slowly backed up, tensing and readying himself for a fight.

"It's the creature!" Basir's voice yelled out.

His gaze flicked quickly to the man.

"Get him! Get him now! Whoever does so will be excused from everything else," Basir continued to yell.

Leo barely had time to draw his katana before the closest man that had shouted at him was upon him, twelve more running for his position. Swallowing hard against the dizzying pain, he moved around the swinging hand and lifted his foot for a kick to the man's chest. Whirling around, he blocked the swing of a crowbar before it could hit him in the back of the skull. A kick with his good leg to the chest had this one down as well. Backing up to give himself a little space, he glared at the group, each one gripping a crowbar of their own. Narrowing his gaze, he tried to push the pain in his right leg to the back of his mind, through he couldn't deny the fact that he was favoring the injured one and more with each attack or defensive move. It slowed down his movements, causing him to nearly get smacked with one of the crowbars more than a few times. Slashing to the left, two of the metal weapons were broken in the men's hands. With their attention on the broken metal, Leo jumped up and kicked with his left leg, sending two of the goons into a couple more.

He darted right, barely aware of the wet feeling going down his right leg. He paid it no mind as he slashed at the next one, this one not so lucky as he received a slash to the chest. Going down screaming, two of the men watched with horror filled eyes before running off in a terrified run. Three of the men remained, slack jawed for a moment before rushing him. Leo quickly realized they were aiming for his injured leg as more attacks came towards his right than the left. A punch to the temple had one man falling backwards, while a leaping kick had him smarting in agony, but the intended victim unconscious on the ground. Turning to the last one, he could only duck as the crowbar was coming in lightning-like speed for his skull. The next swing at him was wild and uncontrolled. He dove to the left a high pitched, but aggressive neigh had him spinning.

Kachiuma had wandered too close to the fighting, positioned almost between him and the last man who was gripping the horse's mane tightly in his hand about to hit the large head.

Leaping quickly, Leo slashed at the crowbar as he sailed over Kachiuma, slamming the hilt of his sword into the man's head.

With all of the men out of commission, his eyes landed on Basir. The man held a shot gun, aimed directly at him.

"I won't have you leaving. It pains me to have to hurt you more, for you've obviously run into trouble to bleed that much, but…" Basir smirked darkly. "I'll do what I must. I will have you."

_Not today you won't._ Leo glared, but refrained from moving as the gun was still pointing at him. Without his usual speed thanks to his injured leg, there was a very great chance that he would end up with another bullet flying through him. Maybe even at just the right spot to kill him. He barely contained the shudder, knowing he had to be careful if he were to get home in one piece.

The third ship blew a horn as it docked, though no one departed from it.

Leo didn't give it another glance, guessing that the new comers were probably giving Basir a wide berth with that gun. Time seemed to slow, but he couldn't believe the next three shouts that he heard.

"Leo!"

"Bro!"

"Leeeeeoooo," the third shrieked.

He glanced back at the ship, eyes wide in surprise to see his three brothers running towards him, horror written across their faces.

A shot rang out before he fully had his attention back on Basir. Rooted to where he stood, he could only stare as Kachiuma was suddenly in front of him, neighing in pain.

"No!" Leo shouted. He quickly checked the horse, seeing it was only a shot to the shoulder, but it looked bad. Just as he looked up, the gun was knocked from Basir's hands by Raphael, eyes narrowed in a furious glare.

Leo gently rubbed the horse, reassuring it that he'd be back and made his way around it to finish the fight with Basir. The man now had a crowbar in his hand, swinging madly at two of the turtles.

Don quickly made his way over to the blue banded turtle. "Leo, you're bleeding!"

He refused to roll his eyes at the obvious and shook his head. "No time Don. We have to get Basir under control now."

"You're badly injured and will make yourself worse."

"I won't let Raph or Mikey get hurt because of this man." Leo tried to push past his brother, but he just couldn't get by.

"Just let me wrap it then we can help them."

Leo sighed and stood still long enough to let Don wrap it tight enough to stop the bleeding. "Help Kachiuma please," he begged Don as soon as he was finished for now.

"Who?"

He pointed at the injured horse.

"Oh. Ok, I'm on it. Don't worry."

Leo jumped into battle, not worried that Don would try to help Kachiuma. He only hoped Kachiuma would let him. The crowbar was now gone from Basir's hands, but began punching and kicking at the turtles jumping around him with frustration. He backed away from Raph's dragon kick, another crowbar finding its way into his hand.

Basir swung, getting in a cheap shot at Mikey's shoulder.

Growing in anger, Raph hooked the crowbar into his sai, jerking it from the man's grip.

Leo got in close behind the man, laying his katana at the man's back. "I suggest you stop moving."

Basir quickly did as suggested, though his muscles were tense as if waiting for a moment to strike. "This won't change a thing. You can do what you will, but I will find you."

"I don't think so." Not giving him the chance to make a moe, he konked the man on the head with the butt of his katana handle. With the man at his feet, Leo let out a sigh, knees shaking form the shock in his injured leg. His youngest brother caught him before he could fall.

"Don't worry, I gotcha."

Leo smiled gently. "Thanks Mikey."

Raph pulled one of Leo's arms over his shoulder, silently agreeing with Mikey.

Held up by his brothers, Leo turned his gaze to Don and Kachiuma. The horse seemed to be neighing contentedly. "Will he be ok?" Leo asked tentatively.

Don stood and quickly nodded. "It was only a flesh wound. I've patched it up so he'll be fine on his own."

Leo smiled in relief.

"So… who's your new friend Leo?" Mikey asked.

"This is the one who saved my life. More than once," Leo admitted.

"Well well, saved by a horse huh?" Raph mock teased.

"Laugh all you want. Just be happy I'm not dead."

"Oh I am. We all are. You have no idea what we went through to find you," Raph quickly answered. He shook his head. "Who woulda thunk you'd get sent all the way out here?"

Leo shook his head. This was new, but something he never wanted to go through again.

"So… can we keep him?" Mikey asked.

"We don't have room for a horse Mikey," Don said exasperated.

Leo disengaged himself from his brothers and limped over to Kachiuma who slowly gained his feet. Leo patted the horse's neck. "Thank you," he whispered.

The horse neighed, tossing its head and nipping at Leo's shoulder.

"He has to stay here," Leo said softly, regret lacing his tone as he rubbed the horse's nose. Kachiuma had been a great friend, trustworthy and willing to put himself on the line for him. How would he just leave someone like that? Horse or not? "It's for the best."

Kachiuma stared at him, understanding seeming to be apparent in his eyes.

"Ahh…" Mikey groaned.

"We'll just have to come back and visit sometime," Leo spoke up. He couldn't imagine just forgetting about Kachiuma and did hope to see the horse again someday.

"But next time, just don't get caught first," Raph grumped.

Leo laughed. "I'll try not to."

"Well come on, it's best we sneak back on the ship now before the crew decides it's safe enough to disembark," Don spoke up.

"You think the Foot left?" Mikey asked.

"The Foot?" Leo asked incredulously. Just what had his brothers gone through to get to him?

"Yeah, kinda had a run in with them on the ship," Raph explained.

"Maybe yes," Don answered to Mikey. "But this is the only ship destined for home."

Leo sighed. Well at least the ship would be going home. He would have them search the ship as soon as they were aboard. He didn't like the thought of sharing it with the Foot, especially in his condition.

He gazed at Kachiuma sadly, pulling his belt from the horse's neck and putting it back around his waist. "Stay safe," he whispered, hobbling a step back from the horse.

Kachiuma pushed his snout against Leo's raised hand, gave a mournful neigh, and turned away, trotting off slowly.

With Raph and Mikey's help, he limped up to the ship, slipping below and into the hold before the crew appeared. The only thing the crew took from the hold when they did come down was a large crate and then they were gone to Leo's relief. After a thorough inspection, Leo was relieved to find out there was no more Foot aboard either. Breathing out a sigh, Leo leaned back against the wall as Don fussed over his right leg. It felt so good to be off of it, but more importantly, it felt good to be going home.

"Boy do we have stories to tell you," Mikey broke the silence as soon as the ship had departed. "But first, would you ever come back just for fun even if you weren't visiting Kachiuma? That's an awesome name by the way. What's it mean?"

Leo laughed. "It's Japanese for spirit and horse." He grinned, but then shook his head. "It was an adventure, but I wouldn't want to go there again. The desert is no place for a turtle."

**The End**

* * *

**Thanks for all the support and reviews. I want to thank and applaud Dondena for the great adventure**** and plotline. If you haven already, I suggest you go check out her fics as well. ;)**


End file.
